One tool to rule them all

Microsoft on Thursday moved its 'Project Honolulu' administration tools into general availability, dubbing the system Windows Admin Center.

A web-based system (you'll need either Edge or Chrome), Admin Center bills itself as a 'hybrid IT' management tool capable of handling both on-premise servers and Azure instances, along with Windows PCs, within a single control pane.

The idea, said Microsoft, was to develop a management tool that is better able to transition between on-prem and cloud services, as well as manage cloud applications and VMs. The Admin Center brings the services together on a single control panel and give a GUI option for tasks that previously required the CLI or a remote desktop connection.

First debuting at the 2017 Ignite conference, Honolulu/Admin Center is Microsoft's successor to the System Center management platform. Admins have been able to try out Honolulu for months (Microsoft claims the preview has already had 50,000 downloads), though the shift to general availability is Microsoft's official signal the tool is now ready for prime time.